The San Francisco 49ers are coming off of another strong game by their defense. They held the Carolina Panthers offense to nine points and 230 yards of offense after Bryce Young and Co. went on a tear the previous week.
But now, coordinator Robert Saleh and his defense will need to replicate that same success as they head to Cleveland to play rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders and the Browns.
Sanders is coming off of winning his first start in the league against the Last Vegas Raiders, which is amazingly the first time a Browns quarterback has won in his debut in three decades. It's a definite flip of the script compared to how Sanders played against the Baltimore Ravens the previous week.
But now, the Niners will have to play spoiler for the former Colorado Buff. And Saleh should have plenty of ideas on how to impact the rookie's second start.
Keys to Robert Saleh frustrating Shedeur Sanders in Week 13
The first will be making sure to pressure Sanders early and often. It was a big reason why Sanders struggled in his first game against the Ravens. The young signal-caller was sacked twice that game, and the Ravens put up 10 quarterback hits. Against the Raiders, the defense had half that production, and Sanders was able to get comfortable on a lot of throws from the pocket.
Granted, Sanders is a good improviser and can create outside of the pocket; the best thing the 49ers can do is to throw in some creative blitzes. When Sanders isn't blitzed, his passer rating sits at a 73.3. In blitzing situations, Sanders' passer rating is a strong 15.3.
Next is taking out the play-action game and force him to throw screens. Sanders has had a lot of success in college in play action, and it's translated to the pros as well. Primarily, on bootleg plays that allow him to create outside the pocket and look downfield. But keeping Sanders contained and making sure the Browns offense can't get the run game going is San Francisco's best option.
Saleh will need to make sure the defense can have a spy on Sanders with Tatum Bethune or Dee Winters. And consider using more of the safety tandem of Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha moving forward. Those two created a lot of problems for the Panthers defense, and they should continue more of the same against the Browns.
Finally, take away Harold Fannin. The rookie tight end has been living up to his draft-steal label since the Browns took him. He's already become Sanders' favorite target since stepping in for Dillon Gabriel. Fannin has nine targets since Sanders has taken over, more than any other Cleveland receiver.
Saleh and the defense can make life difficult for Sanders if they take away the Bowling Green product's play. If they put the safeties on him throughout the game and take away the short to intermediate throws to Fannin, then Sanders will have a rough second start in front of the Browns fans.